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Velvet Revolver front man Scott Weiland has accused George W. Bush of “taking advantage” of public grief following the Sept. 11 attacks by leading his country into war.
Tuesday, Americans headed to the polls and decided whether or not to keep their president. And Monday night Weiland released a statement urging his fans to vote against Bush.
He wrote: “I remember the weeks following 9-11 … I feel that George Bush took advantage of us – took advantage of our loss, took advantage of our pain, took advantage of our grief – and used it for his own selfish designs. The question is not whether or not this happened, but if we’re going to do something to change it. Please make a vote that shows America does not belong to George Bush, that the White House is not an heirloom of the Bush dynasty. Place a vote to restore honor and pride back to America and the presidency. Vote for John Kerry.”
Elsewhere, Weiland slams the war in Iraq and the subsequent handling of the country’s affairs: “The initial argument for war in Iraq was to rid the region of weapons of mass destruction and remove Saddam from power, making the region and the world safe from a maniacal dictator. Somehow the motive has blurred into something completely different altogether: ‘A free and democratic society for the people of Iraq,’ most of whom don’t want what we’re selling them, and never will.”
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Bruce Springsteen joined presidential candidate John Kerry in Cleveland on Monday to show support for his campaign.
Springsteen, who previously has never endorsed a political candidate, played to over 80,000 people last week in Wisconsin. He sang the theme for the Democrats’ campaign, “No Surrender.” He joined Jon Bon Jovi and actor Ben Affleck, who both have lent their support to the Kerry campaign.
Springsteen has just finished the “Vote for Change” tour with R.E.M., Pearl Jam and the Dixie Chicks, which was aimed to get Bush out of office, reports the BBC.
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Even though the elections were taking place in the United Students on Tuesday, musicians around the globe were still rallying to get their political views heard the day of the elections.
Moby posted four times on his online journal Tuesday urging voters against George Bush, while Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl sent a message to his mailing list this morning telling fans to “get your ass out there and vote. You already know that this election is the most important election of our lifetime.”
According to interviews conducted by New Musical Express Courtney Love, Alex Kapranos and Bob Hardy, member of Franz Ferdinand, were also Kerry supporters.
Brandon Flowers of The Killers didn’t support any of the candidates.
“For me it’s really none of the above. I do believe Nader just messes it up,” said Flowers, “I would have really liked to see Colin Powell [as president]. It’s a shame that because of his skin color – it’s just never going to happen.”
“We’re not the only free country, but [freedom], it’s a beautiful thing and that’s the beautiful thing about it; that you can [vote] and it gives you the right to bitch, too. If you voted for someone, you have the right to say something. A lot of people don’t and they just complain. A lot of people are just posers, ‘I hate Bush,’ and then they don’t even vote.”
- Compiled by Aerin Raymond
Bangor Daily News